a little birdie told me, pt 2: flat piping on a sweetheart neckline

since i already had my bodice pieces cut from muslin, i used these to cut my fabric. i wanted to see exactly what each piece of the bodice would look like before cutting so i placed and cut each piece individually instead of just folding the fabric and hoping for the best.

funny how huge a bodice looks when all laid out this way...

now there is nothing terribly unusual about the construction of this dress but i would like to show you a few details. i have been working at adding embellishments here and there as well as improving my construction techniques (instead of being lazy and cutting corners... having an audience helps to keep me from sliding). i'll simply be adding flat piping at the neckline, a little topstitching and a waist stay. well, a not really waist stay... but i'll get to that later. i'll even hand stitch the bodice lining and blind stitch the hem by hand! i'm the kind of sewist who does does everything possible to avoid hand stitching, but i figure the dress shouldn't have to suffer just cuz i'm a little lazy.

underlined and ready for construction

first thing i did was underline the bodice with my muslin pieces. after adding the underlining i sewed the bodice pieces together. since there are princess seams in this i needed to clip my curves. now, i could have trimmed these interior seam allowances (and almost always the pattern directions instruct you to do so) but i left them as is. why? well, i try to clip and trim only when i really need to. also, you are usually told to press both seam allowances on princess seams to the middle. a quick perusal through any couture sewing book and you'll see that these seams are almost always balanced, that is they are pressed open, even with darts! i suppose this is more important when you have multiple layers with underlinings and such. on a lighter fabric i might press to the center. then again, a princess seamed bodice is usually very structured where a lightweight material wouldn't work... just thinking out loud here... anyway, do notch the seam allowance (cutting narrow v shapes) on the inside of the curve, to ensure it lays flat and press the curved seam over a tailor's ham.

i changed the pattern design from a straight neckline to a sweetheart. there is nothing difficult about the sweetheart neckline it just takes some extra prep. i will hand stitch a lining in later, so i will just turn the neckline seam to the inside with the flat piping then topstitch it all in place. to make sure the "v" turns out neatly i reinforced it with very short stitches right at, or just inside the seam line. i sewed at the "v" about an inch in each direction, then i clipped right up to the point and now it will turn perfectly!

here is the reinforcing stitches and the little snip so it all turns nicely

then to add the flat piping i very carefully measured and pinned bias tape in place and hand basted then machine sewed it in place. i left it hanging an inch or so at the center (i used two separate strips of bias so i could overlap them neatly at the center) because i wanted to make sure the piping was positioned just right!

now, before topstitching the piping and the neckline seam in place i needed to check the fit. to do this, i simply pinned the zip in place and tried it on.

back to the neckline... i turned the neckline to the inside and pinned it in place. i made sure the piping was even all the way around and not peeking out higher in random places (measure if you're as particular about these things as i am). with everything positioned the way i wanted i was ready for topstitching! if you want your topstitching to stand out and be a detail on the garment, make sure to use actual topstitching thread because it is thicker than regular sewing thread.

i am so very happy with how well the piping turned out. it really does pay to take your time and do something right! next up, attaching the skirt and adding a not really waist stay!

"i'm not ready to give up summer!" dress, part 2

this dress comes together really fast so it's perfect for a last minute project or something you just don't want to labor over. i have made this one for my mini me, but it will work just as well for us grown ups! start by sewing together the side seams of the ruffle pieces and side seams of the bodice pieces. finish the seams allowances as you prefer and make a narrow hem on the bottom of the ruffle.


make two rows of gathering stitches on the top edge of the ruffle. pin the ruffle at the side seams and at center front and center back. draw up the bobbin thread and distribute the gathers evenly and stitch.

take your bias tape and pin and stitch it at the top edge of the bodice over the ruffle. leave about 1" of tape free and unstitched at the back. bring the bias tape together and pin it to mark where to join the tape. stitch the tape together and trim, then finish stitching it to the bodice.

disregard the fact that i didn't line up the top edges, i ended up trimming it even. i had
some reason in my head at the time... don't know what it was though!

press the bias tape up and over the top edge of the bodice folding it around to the inside. pin the tape right off the edge of the bias tape from the front, just catching the folded over edge of the tape on the inside. stitch in the "ditch" all the way around but leave 1" open to have a place to insert the elastic. this whole bias tape binding of edges is really easy but if you've never done it before, words may not do it proper justice. here is a step by step in pics...

bias tape is first pinned and sewn all the way around on the outside of the garment, except for a 1" opening

pinch the tape together to see where the pieces should be joined

pin it in place and make sure it will lie flat

stitch right in line with your pin markings

trim the bias tape then finish sewing to close the opening

fold tape up where you stitched and press

fold the inner edge of bias tape in and wrap the tape around the edge of the garment

pin from the outside in the "ditch" making sure your pin catches the inside edge of the bias tape

sew in the "ditch" from the outside

view from the inside. remember to leave an opening to insert the elastic.

measure out a piece of elastic the same as the chest measurement. insert it into the bias tape casing then pull out the two ends, overlap them slightly and stitch them together. draw the elastic back into the casing and stitch the opening shut.

the rest is just as easy, and i'll finish it up tomorrow!